second Bible reading is taken from 1 Corinthians chapter 9 page 10148 a few Bibles am I not free am I not an apostle have I not seen Jesus our lord are you not the result of my work in the Lord even though I may not be an apostle to others surely I am to you for you are the Seal of my apostleship in the Lord this is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me don’t we have the right to food and drink don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us as do the other Apostles and the Lord’s brothers and sephus or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living who serves as a soldier at his own expense who plants a Vineyard and does not eat its grapes who tends A Flock and does not drink the milk do I say this merely on human authority doesn’t the law say the same thing for it is written in the law of Moses do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain is it about oxen that God is concerned surely he says this for us doesn’t he yes this was written for us because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the Harvest if we have sewn spiritual seed among you is it too much if we reap a material Harvest from you if others have this right of support from you shouldn’t we have it all the more but we do not use this right on the contrary we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ don’t you know that those those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar in the same way the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel but I have not used any of these rights and I’m not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast for when I preach the gospel I cannot boast since I am compelled to preach woe to me if I do not preach the gospel if I preach voluntarily I have a reward if not voluntarily I am simply discharging the trust committed to me what then is my reward just this that in in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the Gospel though I am free and belong to no one I have made myself a slave to everyone to win as many as possible to the Jews I became like a Jew to win the Jews to those under the law I became like one under the law though I myself am not under the law so as to win those under the law to those not having the law I became like one not having the law though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law so as to win those not having the law to the weak I became weak to win the weak I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some I do this for the sake of the Gospel that I may share in its blessings do you not know that in a race all the runners run but only one gets the prize run in such a way as to get the prize everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training they do it to get a crown that will not last but we do it to get a crown that will last forever therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly I do not fight like a boxer beating the air no I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others I myself will not be disqualified for the prize this is the word of the Lord thanks be to God thank you Mary Jane uh good morning yeah if you haven’t met yet my name is Sam I’m a student Minister here at St orans it’s a real joy to be with you here this Sunday uh we’re looking at an intriguing passage here this morning uh so before we begin let’s ask of God’s help in understanding his word let’s pray gracious father may your name be forever praised in heaven and here on Earth grant that we here this morning may be enlightened by your word as it is preached and move us to be more like your son so that you may receive the glory in the Name of Christ amen amen well one of the easiest ways to get people really angry is to threaten to take away their rights our history is lded with examples of this and that’s why many documents have actually been created uh and written in defense of these particular human rights uh some of the more famous examples include uh the Magna carter now this was drafted uh quite a few years ago the 13th century in England and this particular document it required the king of England to renounce certain rights and to accept that the will of the king could be bound by law uh this was revolutionary in the sense that now the common Ordinary People could be protected from tyrannical power hungry Kings and this is a notion that is still very much in the public conscience today uh consider another document uh the universal Declaration of Human Rights now this was drafted in the year 1948 and became a Benchmark document in the human rights world and its overarching message is one of unity and freedom and consider its first article it says this all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights they are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of Brotherhood see these rights are just assumed from birth and this document itself has also become particularly influential within the culture that we live but it’s interesting because rights tend to be a major issue in Australian culture particularly so today uh people don’t react well when they believe that their freedom or their dignity is being impinged by some greater force or hierarchy uh often protests in Shue there may be rallies and there are whole segments on current affair programs that are dedicated to people who feel that their rights are being abused uh you you may be familiar we often hear slogans like my body my choice or Love Is Love see people are concerned about things like their freedom of speech their freedom of religion and they often even ask questions like do we live in a free country anymore more it also influences culture in other ways uh some people become famous because of this you can think of Someone Like Jordan Peterson who becomes famous seemly overnight because he was willing to defend his rights uh the former Attorney General of the United States a man by the name of Ramsey Clark actually said a right is not what someone gives you it’s what no one can take from you they are as the US Constitution puts it inalienable for us as Christians though they are only inalienable in the sense that God as the creator of all things gives us rights but unfortunately in the secular culture that we now live in that is not where people derive the origins of their RS but when you think about it here this morning the the whole fabric of Western culture uh places like the United States the United Kingdom and here in Australia what underpins their culture is their belief in their rights see you can take just about anything from people but you can’t take away their rights it should be obvious then here this morning that people care about their rights but I want you to think here this morning about how you use your rights this is what makes this passage here this morning so intriguing see the way Paul the Apostle viewed his rights and how he used his rights is totally antithetical to how we view our rights here today in Australia uh let’s look at our passage here today then and what you notice first is that Paul is asking a lot of rhetorical questions in verse one he says am I not free am I not an apostle see people were questioning his apostleship uh many of the Corinthian Church were not impressed with Paul and he answers bluntly that he is an apostle and with that comes certain rights let’s see what he says uh from verse three this is my offense to those who sit in judgment on me don’t we have the right to food and drink don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us as do the other Apostles and the Lord’s brothers and cus or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living interesting to not that all of these rights that Paul mentions are rights of support he was entitled to being supported by by the Corinthian Church the passage goes on in verses 7 and 14 Paul then gives us five different examples all consecutively and in heightening Authority as to why he has the right of support he uses examples as we’ve seen from the law of Moses he uses an example from the temple uh everyday life with the soldiers and the Shepherds and the vineyard workers and he states that spiritual things are more valuable than physical things till finally in verse 14 he tells us that the Lord Jesus himself has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel he had a right to ask the Corinthians to support him in the work that he was doing because he was an apostle and he was their Apostle so Paul has made it very clear that he has the right to support but he’s the kicker he’s the transformative power of the gospel and the work of the holy spirit in our lives that changes us uh look with me please at verse 15 considering all of this he says but I have not used any of these rights brothers and sisters this is staggering see he deserves these rights he’s earned these rights but he doesn’t use them I mean can you imagine someone today forgoing their right to get paid or can you imagine someone forgoing their right to food and drink and to basic freedoms and Paul himself wasn’t even appreciated by the Corinthian Church what on Earth will compel someone to to give up their rights to give up what they’re entitled to you know these treasured rights that people here today and throughout history have held so dearly to themselves what what and what does Paul even get out of losing his rights what what’s his reward well he answers that as we move along in verse 18 He says this that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge and so not make use of my rights in preaching it Paul can relinquish all of his rights so that he can preach the gospel it provides him with the freedom to do so so that he can share the good news about Jesus see a person who is ready to endure anything for the gospel is not at all interested in their rights they they are secondary and brothers and sisters here this morning that should Inspire us and it should embolden us Paul’s example once again should spur us on to preach the gospel and to not be so preoccupied with our rights so there’s our first point Paul gave up his rights so that he could preach the gospel uh let’s now return in the passage back to verse 12 uh where Paul boldly asserts that he and the apostles would rather put up with anything than hinder the gospel and he’s given up his rights to do so what does that mean though I mean he said says he wants to preach the gospel but how does he do that what does preaching and sharing the gospel actually look like in practice and what does it actually look like for you and me here this morning at St alens uh well it’s all part of that uh that big scary word we don’t like to use uh evangelism isn’t it see sharing the gospel with those who do not yet know Christ is a difficult thing there are books of upon books that have been written upon the subject article upon article study upon study has been conducted and there is been much trial and error much work has been and is being put into telling people that Jesus died for their sins rose from the dead and Promises eternal life to those that believe in and trust in him it’s even part of our vision here at St Al is it you know we have an Outreach plan uh some of us have been participating uh the ripple effect in our small groups evangelism training and with all the people that don’t yet know Jesus here in per it is vital that we do consider how to share the good news about Jesus and Paul as we’ve seen was willing to give up his rights for it so how do we do it how do we share the gospel here at St orens well Paul gives us a little piece of advice In this passage that is practical you or me or any other Christian can do this in their personal lives and trust God to bring the people they witness to to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus uh let’s once again hear what Paul says uh this time from verse 19 he says this though I am free and belong to no man I make myself a slave to everyone to to win as many as possible to the Jews I became like a Jew to win the Jews to those under the law I became like one under the law though I myself am not under the law so as to win those under the law to those not having the law I became like one not having the law though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law so as to win those not having the law to the weak I became weak week to win the week I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some I do all this for the sake of the Gospel that I may share in its blessings uh you remember here this morning there was a famous missionary by the name of Hudson Taylor it was a man who traveled uh 11 times to the nation of China in the late 19th and early 20th century and he’s actually the founder of a prominent missionary organization you may have heard of it’s called omf Uh it was originally known as the China inland mission he actually pioneered our missions into Inland areas in uh and other nations what made Tor unique though at the time was his unwavering Devotion to assimilating and adapting to China’s culture to win over the local people for the gospel I see tor he he wore Chinese clothing he ate Chinese food with chopsticks uh he learned the local languages and he made every effort to become as they were and Taylor himself was mirroring the Apostle Paul in his Endeavors to be able to share the gospel with people whose culture was vastly different from his own uh he had rights but he chose to relish them and become as a Chinese man to win the Chinese and there was much gospel fruit born from his work uh many people came to Christ through the work of Hudson Taylor willing to become all things to all people see Paul wants the cor Corinthians to think outside the box in terms of how they are evangelizing he wants them to become like people who are profoundly different to themselves and in saying that what Paul is saying is that the gospel is for everyone Paul is wanting us to adapt to the cultural behavior of the people around us which will make them more receptive to the gospel um now look this won’t necessarily mean that you will have to be like Hudson and Taylor and journey to some far off land like China and adapt to their culture but you can hear this morning be all things to all people right here in Australia and there’s a few ways this could look uh practically I say you’re a parent here this morning maybe go to the parties and the events that your children get invited to make some friends uh if you’re at work take an interest in the Hobbies of your work colleagues I mean maybe watch the shows they like or the sport they enjoy listen to the music that they like if you’re retired here this morning join a bowling club or the local bridge club get get amongst the community there and if you’re young enough that you’re still in school as some of us are here today take an interest in what your friends are into and try and use that as an opportunity to tell them about Jesus Embrace people and their habits and pray for opportun unities to witness to them now if I can give a slight caveat a slight warning that doesn’t mean that if the people you want to share the gospel with are engaging in behavior that will cause you to sin that you do the same thing remember Paul says he is under Christ’s law don’t let what they’re doing become a stumbling block for you but as much as possible try to live as these people people do so that you may win them over for Christ you may be wondering here this morning though but isn’t Paul becoming like Jews and Greeks and weak people potentially a dangerous thing for him and becoming like them doesn’t he actually risk giving away the gospel and hence his salvation but he answers that actually the opposite is true in verse 23 he states that he does all of this for the sake of the gospel that he might share in its blessings Paul has proven to us that Jesus is worth it so we’ve seen already today that Paul has not used his rights so that he may preach the gospel and secondly he has done that so that he may become all things to all people which brings us to our final Point here this morning run to win the race uh let’s let’s hear what Paul says in the final part of this passage from verse 24 do you not know that in a race all the runners run but only one gets the prize run in such a way as to get the prize everyone who competes in the game goes into strict training they do it to get a crown that will not last but we do it to get a crown that will last forever therefore I do not run like like a man running aimlessly do not fight like a man beating the air no I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I preached to others I myself will not be disqualified for the price uh self-discipline uh that is a prized attribute in any athlete uh and a talent is often not enough to win the Ultimate Prize you have to be disciplined as well as persevered to achieve ultimate success uh when the American heavyweight champion boxer Mike Tyson was in his prime uh his training schedule was rigorous uh it looked something like this his daily routine he would wake up at 400 a.m. in the morning to do some Sprints and some box jumps followed by a 6K run he then go back to sleep at about 5:30 for another few hours of rest and then once he hadd eaten breakfast the rest of the day consisted of uh 4 hours of intense training in the boxing ring and another 3 hours on the exercise bike and in the gym it makes you tired just thinking about it and he he also he had a restrictive diet of just chicken rice pasta steak and juice and then it would be an early bed to get the required West in to prepare for his next fight day by day continuously until the day came and this this laborious looking schedule provides an insight into the kind of discipline that Paul was wanting the Corinthians to spicy I mean an athlete is just one example that there are various disciplines in fields that this uh could be related to this kind of hard work uh consider the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso this is a man who was known to work for 12 hours every day eventually going to bed at 3:00 a.m. and because himself was renowned as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century he won many awards himself and he was incredibly devoted to his craft so it beg a question then if is people like Mike Tyson and pastle could work this hard and be this dedicated for a perishable Crown how much more should we who are receiving an imperishable Crown work just as if not harder so run in such a way as to get the price now another slight cave another slight warning now when Paul says in verse 24 that only one gets the prize he’s not referring to the idea that only one Christian will win the prize of Salvation uh rather his point is that everyone should run as if to win with complete determination we know this because Paul the same off says in second Timothy uh he says that the crown of righteousness a weighs all those who have loved the appearing of Christ and the prize that we will receive if we have loved his appearing is eternal life to spend eternity with God uh worshiping him praising him because of who he is and because of his great victory over sin and death it’s a great price the perishable ground uh pales in significance and the one that Paul would have been referring to it actually would have been a reference to something called the isian games uh these were similar to the Olympic Games we are familiar with today uh they were held in Corinth and there would have been uh running wrestling Boxing various other athletic events but it’s interesting though do you know what the athletes in the isan games won and would have worn on the vix this stage if they won an event um for all of their self-discipline their perseverance and their training the athletes in the East Wing game would have worn on their head a crown made out of celery for all of their painful toil they received a crown on their head that would have barely lasted one week it was probably more appropriate for being put into your soup for Sunday lunch yet it would perish and would not last and that’s what they worked for but we are encouraged here in this passage to work for a crown that will last so we’ve seen here this morning that Paul didn’t use his rights so that he could win people for the gospel and he encourages us to run for the prize laid up for us if we trust in Jesus and he encourages us to use our fre that Christ has won for us to win others for the gospel and we must live a lifestyle of service in response what should we do do all of this though and why and big question why W the Corinthians and what motivated Paul well Mark actually alerted us last week to this matter that if you remember at the beginning of First Corinthians 8 it said knowledge puffs up but love builds up brothers and sisters we are to be motivated by love for our fellow uh person and Paul had received the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ this is the greatest outpouring of Love there has ever been the life he lived and that you and I should live is only a reality because of what Christ has done we can do away of our rights so that we can love people more win them for the gospel and run to reach the prize of eternal life only because we have already been loved by Christ I do wonder if you hear this morning or maybe you potentially have some boundaries that you provide yourself with that give you comfort give you peace I see this morning um does it hinder you from being able to share the gospel though I want you to consider it for yourselves because remember Paul used his freedom to love other people and not just to live a comfortable life as tempting as it is here in Australia Paul did not use his freedom in that way so we’re free now to love other people as Jesus would and as Jesus has so therefore brothers and sisters let’s use our rights and our freedom as an example this week so the good news of Jesus becomes more apparent and God’s glorious Kingdom grows more and more uh to finish here this morning uh I’ve lately have been reading a book called Holiness uh by a man named Jason riy you may have heard of him he was Bishop of Liverpool in the 19th century and as we close here this morning uh let’s Ponder his thoughts let’s consider this quote from the book as we close we cannot live to ourselves only in this world a lives will always be doing either good or harm to those who see them they are a silent sermon which all can read it is sad indeed when there are sermon for the devil’s cause and not for Gods I believe that far more is done for Christ’s Kingdom by the holy living of Believers than we are at all aware of there is a reality about s such living which makes men feel and obliges them to think it carries a weight and influence with it which nothing else can give it makes religion beautiful and draws men to consider it like a lighthouse scen AAR off off the day of judgment will prove that many besides husbands have been one without the word by a holy life and you may talk to persons about the doctrines of the gospels and few will listen and still fewer understand but your life is an argument that none can escape there is a meaning about holiness which even the most unlearned can help taking in they may not understand justification but they can understand charity amen
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